The hunt begins...
Waking before dawn, I hastily prepared boiling water for coffee with a little reserved for re-hydrating my cinnamon oatmeal, freeze dried apples, and powder milk concoction in a small mylar bag for breakfast. The temperatures were not very cold yet and I knew the mid-day temps would be toasty, so after breakfast I shed my heavy wool top and donned my dad's old lightweight "Fred Bear" camo top. This was just a little way to remember "Pop" and hopefully bring some luck.
The three of us sped off in different directions and I headed about a mile down and across the valley toward the Y-Shaped drainage I thought was a great spot on my satellite scouting. There were black cattle grazing in the meadow as I swiftly moved at a good pace crossing into some thick willows and entering the blow down mess that was the hillside leading into the drainage. I took some time to let things settle down, took out a broadhead arrow, and affixed a small length of unwaxed dental floss to the upper loop of my bow string and slightly fraying the ends. A large bright blue Stellar's jay sounded off and flew into a nearby pine as the musty smells of the morning filled my nostrils.
The floss told me the wind was perfect for an uphill sneak, around and into the valley. I started moving very slowly and deliberately. The area was a dark tangle of deadfall. I would climb or skirt a blow down, stop, look and listen for a few minutes, scan ahead for the best route and then repeat the sequence moving at a snail's pace. The cool breeze was sinking down and I could hear the cows grazing in the meadow's edge below.
Caching something out of place in the thick pine needles as I crept, I realized I was looking at the skeleton of an elk. No head remained though the rest of the remains seemed relatively in the area of death. Another lucky hunter perhaps?
An hour or so past as I drifted up the hillside and over into the drainage. Down, in the cool willows I spotted a great sign. Fresh green elk poop! It was not warm but definitely from the last 24 hours.
Farther up I spotted a track. Studying the trampled greenery smashed inside the print I also deduced this was VERY fresh. things were looking up!
Then, I took another step and looked up. There, looking at me in the edge of the willows, was the big dome of a 2 person Eureka tent - white with orange rain fly. Crud! Was this another hunter, or just a hiker close to the nearby lake? Either way I cursed under my breath and took a bearing up the valley on the opposite side of the drainage to continue my sneak around.
The other side of the drainage was more open but steeper, which made the pace a little faster. I headed up the right side of the "Y" and could view down into the opposing hillside as it was very steep. I took step and was listening when I heard a cow call in the creek. Picking up my binos and looking that way I spot two compound bow toting hunters call again up into the drainage. I watched the one guy turn and look right at me and despite being fairly in the open, he continued to walk up the valley. I consulted the map on my phone and seeing that they were farther up than I and it was very steep on both sides, I resigned myself to circle back around hoping maybe they push one over the hill towards me.
I continued to side hill around when I heard a noise that snapped me out of my thoughts of the other hunters. I twig snapped and I saw a patch of tan buff through the pines...
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